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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26361526">the west</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/tendecibels/pseuds/tendecibels'>tendecibels</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>TREASURE (Korea Band)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Fluff, Friends to Lovers, I mean he’s trying, I will never stop making Jihoon and Doyoung siblings in my fics, Lowkey set in london, M/M, Oblivious Choi Hyunsuk, best friends sukhoon, but also lowkey set in korea, i couldn’t choose, junghwan is a roadman at heart, minor alcohol consumption, smooth park Jihoon, “everyone knows we’re dating but us” trope</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 06:07:31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>6,238</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26361526</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/tendecibels/pseuds/tendecibels</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p><em>there’s better days ahead than those we’re leaving behind</em><br/> </p><p>or</p><p> </p><p>sukhoon running away. (read: Jihoon whisking a stressed uni student, Hyunsuk, away for the day. it’s <em>not</em> a date.)</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Choi Hyunsuk/Park Jihoon</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>111</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>the west</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>“We’re running away.”</p><p>Hyunsuk blinks once, twice, tries to wrap his head around the nonsensical words that have just left his best friend’s mouth to no avail.</p><p>“Jihoon, what the fuck?”</p><p>-<br/>-</p><p>I need more sukhoon content</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>If there’s one trait of Hyunsuk’s that he’d love to completely absolve himself of, it would most definitely be his classic tendency to succumb to any level of minor stress, subsequently partake in a routine mental breakdown (occasionally mental <em>breakdowns</em>) where he impulsively dyes his hair the most outrageous colour that he hasn’t experimented with yet, and as a result overworks himself to stupid extents. </p><p>Hyunsuk respects his bimonthly routine as a part of his identity and knows he’d be a completely different person sans these trivial crises he’s grown accustomed to (for better or for worse, who knows), but since starting university - which he’d foolishly been looking forward to for <em>years</em> - it’s gotten much, much worse and ten times more frequent to the dismay of every poor soul surrounding him.</p><p>Regardless and contrary to his constant complaining, university is definitely an experience Hyunsuk couldn’t trade for the world. Opening such a wide, unprecedented chapter in life is bound to come with adversity and uncertainty, but the lifestyle, the friends he’s made, the freedom he’s finally been granted is usually incomparable to any negatives he comes across.</p><p><em>Usually</em>. Currently, Hyunsuk is mere seconds from pulling his own hair out of his head as he has been for the past few weeks for a multitude of reasons, the main, glaring one being the quarter life crisis he’s suffering at the hands of. He just doesn’t know what to <em>do</em> with his life. </p><p>Whether he’s in uni for the right reasons, or even studying the right course. Whether the fortune he and his parents have forked out is even worth it, or if he would have had better luck, say, in the entertainment industry of all places. In conclusion, Hyunsuk is struggling.</p><p>Jihoon, that lucky bastard, has been taking turning the ripe old age of twenty one in graceful stride, frustratingly organised in his chaotic disorganisation. Hyunsuk is sure that his best friend is the wizened gatekeeper of all procrastinators, completing assignments mere hours before they’re due but he still somehow escapes with glistening grades <em>every</em> time. Jihoon is so calm in his warzone of an existence, caused entirely by his own doing, and Hyunsuk can only dream.</p><p>It’s when he picks up Jihoon’s daily evening facetime that he sees that the only explanation is that they simply must be of different breeds. Different universes, actually.</p><p>At nine o’clock, when he usually calls, Jihoon is typically peaceful and relaxed in that oversized brown hoodie he refuses to take off and regardless of whether he has a mountain pile of work upon his shoulders for the next morning, he always makes time for Hyunsuk. Hyunsuk, on the other hand, is probably multitasking keeping up with Jihoon’s conversation and completing assignments which he’ll survive if he leaves for tomorrow.</p><p>He hates to admit it because Jihoon’s colossal ego can certainly do without any extra stroking, but Hyunsuk doesn’t know what he’d do without his best friend.</p><p>For all the fake nonchalance Jihoon constantly puts up, he knows Hyunsuk far better than he knows himself. It takes only seconds for Jihoon to pick up on Hyunsuk’s approaching mental breakdown the second he picks up the call, and immediately he’s offering to come over to provide unlimited cuddles (that Hyunsuk is admittedly greatly deprived of), but in Hyunsuk fashion, he denies it all.</p><p>He’s <em>fine</em>.</p><p>(The pout Jihoon counters him with only makes his heart flutter a little.)</p><p>-</p><p>Lectures are among Hyunsuk’s most favourite and most hated activities. Granted he has managed to catch enough sleep the previous night to be almost fully functional, lectures aren’t always as terrible as everybody says they are. Strangely, Hyunsuk <em>likes</em> learning, he <em>enjoys</em> the atmosphere in lecture halls, where even if he’s zoning out to another dimension, he’s probably composing melodies and lyrics he can develop into masterpieces later on.</p><p>Overall, lectures are a productive use of his time as a student.</p><p>However, on days similar to today, Hyunsuk finds himself struggling to concentrate on anything his professor is saying, mind obstructed by a whirlwind of irrelevant thoughts that he can’t seem to hold onto for more than a second. He didn’t sleep well last night, Hyunsuk remembers, nor the day before that, or the day before <em>that.</em> He sighs deeply, only thirty minutes left.</p><p>If Jihoon could see him right now, he’d be positively fuming. Among their friend group, he and Junkyu are most famous for taking sleep very seriously, the both of them often sleeping for up to twelve hours a day (something Hyunsuk always reprimands Jihoon for, especially when they’re uni students of all people, with unending lists of things to do). </p><p>Due to his personal affection for sleep, Jihoon constantly praises and preaches about the benefits of a good night’s sleep to anyone who’ll listen. Needless to say, Hyunsuk suffers a lot.</p><p>In the midst of his thoughts, Hyunsuk barely catches the page number they’re meant to be turning to, but while he’s doing so a neon coloured square of paper floats out of a fold in his textbook and he grabs it out of the air, eyebrow raised. He’s never used this textbook before, so it shouldn’t be infested with hundreds of post-it notes he conveniently forgets to consistently review like all of his other ones.</p><p><em>’Meet me tomorrow at the car park :)’</em> it reads.</p><p>There’s no sign off or signature so initially, Hyunsuk has to wrack his brains to figure out who would leave him such an ambiguous note (and honestly, if he should be scared for his life), when suddenly the gears click. <em>Jihoon</em>.</p><p>The only person who’d know his schedule so well to be sure that Hyunsuk would be free tomorrow.</p><p>It marks every criteria of Jihoon’s personality and general bizarre tendencies to leave an inconspicuous note for him to find rather than to just text Hyunsuk like any normal person would, but he finds himself smiling softly nonetheless. It’s heartwarming, he must admit.</p><p>Jihoon’s good to him.</p><p>-</p><p>After a gruelling, fruitless day of classes, of which Hyunsuk can barely even remember the definitely important content of or more alarmingly, whether he was even taking the correct notes, the first thing he does as soon as he organises his list of jumbled priorities and attempts to pull his life together is call Jihoon.</p><p>Who, unlike usual, doesn’t pick up. Not even the second, third time Hyunsuk attempts to call. Instinctively, Hyunsuk is slightly concerned, as they are both individuals whose eyes are typically glued to their phones more often that they aren’t, so the chances of them missing each other’s calls are slim to none. Instead, he leaves a text after about an hour and a half of no response, just checking if Jihoon is still alive.</p><p>Almost immediately, the seen indicator lights up and three dots slide across his screen, surprising Hyunsuk. If Jihoon doesn’t call back within five minutes of missing a call, it’s likely that Hyunsuk will probably end up waiting another twenty four hours to receive any kind of contact from his friend.</p><p>
  <strong>Jihoon</strong><br/>
<em>yes i’m alive lmaoo</em>
</p><p>Hyunsuk frowns slightly. </p><p>
  <strong>me</strong><br/>
<em>then why are you ignoring my calls :((</em>
</p><p>
  <strong>Jihoon</strong><br/>
<em>nooooo i’m sorry bb</em><br/>
<em>i just reallllyy don’t wanna give away what we’re doing tomorrow :((</em>
</p><p>Hyunsuk allows his eyebrows to furrow in confusion at Jihoon’s antics, before his fingers are gliding across the screen in response. (He does <em>not</em> blush at Jihoon’s pet name. Not even a little.)</p><p>
  <strong>Hyunsuk</strong><br/>
<em>you can still call....</em><br/>
<em>just don’t tell me ??</em>
</p><p>
  <strong>Jihoon</strong><br/>
<em>nah don’t trust myself</em><br/>
<em>i’ll call you tomorrow morning ok?</em>
</p><p>Through experience, Hyunsuk has learnt that once Jihoon has made a decision, he’ll just be wasting energy trying to convince his best friend otherwise, so he concedes.</p><p>
  <strong>Hyunsuk</strong><br/>
<em>ok fine then</em>
</p><p>
  <strong>Jihoon</strong><br/>
<em>:)</em><br/>
<em>also</em>
</p><p>
  <strong>Hyunsuk</strong><br/>
<em>yeah?</em>
</p><p>
  <strong>Jihoon</strong><br/>
<em>i’m stranded lol can you send me like 20,000 won pls</em><br/>
<em>i’ll pay you back tomorrow !!</em>
</p><p>Knowing Jihoon, the predicament he’s found himself in is probably not as ordinary or simple as it seems but Hyunsuk doesn’t really want to know. They’re uni students, and Jihoon is the uni student in question, it’s probably best he doesn’t ask.</p><p>
  <strong>Hyunsuk</strong><br/>
<em>sure don’t worry about it</em>
</p><p>-</p><p>Hyunsuk shouldn’t have to sit and take this kind of slander from a <em>high school</em> kid. </p><p>But here he is, listening to a frustratingly reasonable Yedam trying to convince him that he’s in love with his best friend, and that whatever they were doing tomorrow was a date. Obviously, that’s completely outrageous and there’s absolutely no chance of Hyunsuk being in love with <em>Jihoon</em>, of all people, but there’s something in Yedam’s tone and selection of words that could probably convince him the sky was green and the grass blue.</p><p>He has millions of stable arguments bouncing around inside his head, but none of them are making it outside his mouth and he wants to die on the spot, he sounds utterly defenceless.</p><p>(Suddenly, flashbacks of constantly resisting comparisons to Yedam since they were children come to mind, and he regrets ever trying to dispute them. Undeniably, Yedam has him outmatched by an embarrassing margin, at least during debate.)</p><p>“Even if you aren’t in love with him, Jihoon hyung’s definitely whipped you.” Yedam’s voice echoes out of the speakers in his phone, and Hyunsuk splutters in response.</p><p>“You’re in high school, you don’t even know how we behave around each other anymore.” Hyunsuk exclaims, but Yedam snorts in response.</p><p>Simply, he replies with an, “ok, hyung,” but he sounds so smug, so sure of himself that Hyunsuk doesn’t know what to do with the growing frustration pooling in his stomach. Yedam doesn’t know what he’s talking about.</p><p>He’s mercifully saved when he hears the sound of Yedam’s mother entering the room, probably to remind him to study, but once she realises who he’s talking to she instantly snatches the phone from him to talk to Hyunsuk, her best friend’s child.</p><p>Hyunsuk laughs in his tiny victory as he hears Yedam’s faded complaints in the background, drowned out by his mom’s excited rapid fire questioning, in order to catch up with her, quote, favourite child.</p><p><em>He’s not even your kid, mom, I’m your only child</em>, Hyunsuk hears Yedam whine in the background before his mother quietens him, and continues her professional interrogation of his new life in university, how he’s getting on and whether he’s going to become a doctor to which Hyunsuk very clearly denies, before the rest of his mom’s friends get any ideas.</p><p>Eventually, Yedam’s mother lets him go with the reminder to tell his own mom to call her, and his friend’s voice returns, albeit noticeably more exhausted.</p><p>“She loves you more than me, I swear.”</p><p>-</p><p>The golden light streaming through his curtains is glaringly distracting and soon enough Hyunsuk is reluctantly cracking an eye open slightly, to adjust to the brightness. In a perfect world, Hyunsuk would have sunk back into his sheets effortlessly and slept another four blissful hours but the blazing sunlight ensures that there’s definitely no way he’ll be able to fall back asleep now, and Hyunsuk curses himself - as he does every morning - for not investing in a quality pair of blackout curtains.</p><p>After a good fifteen minutes of idle contemplation mixed with a small life crisis, he rolls over onto his side and promptly presses his face into the mattress, slapping his bedside table until he feels his phone, and for a good minute, he’s concerned that he’s actually blinded himself when he turns it on, it’s so bright.</p><p>
  <strong>Jihoon</strong><br/>
<em>be ready by 12 &lt;3</em>
</p><p>He suddenly remembers the note Jihoon had left him yesterday, and smiles in warmth, slightly anticipating what madness his best friend has meticulously planned today. His early rise turns out to be a veiled blessing as he reads this message, wincing as he remembers every other time he’s shown up later than Jihoon’s specifically requested wishes, and the incessant calls he receives of impatient, whiny complaints. Patience is certainly not one of Jihoon’s virtues.</p><p>Underneath the text that greets him instead of a normal good morning message is a selfie taken in usual Jihoon fashion, a small smile adorned with a peace sign and a heart fluttering wink. Hyunsuk hates that he can’t control the smile that crosses his face. With a deep sigh, he rolls himself out of bed to prepare for the probably life threatening trip Jihoon intends to drag him along for.</p><p>-</p><p>Thankfully, Hyunsuk’s life hasn’t been threatened with immediate danger since he’d spotted Jihoon’s car in the spacious parking lot outside their dorms, and from what he’s seen, he doesn’t seem to have any plans to spontaneously take them halfway across the country, or skydiving without parachutes - not that Hyunsuk would put it past him. </p><p>Upon spotting him, Jihoon’s lazy smile grows a tenfold, sliding his phone into his back pocket in order to crush Hyunsuk’s poor airways with the single tightest hug he’s ever received in his twenty one years of existence. He’s about thirty short seconds away from passing out right here in Jihoon’s arms when he finally decides to let him go and grins a mischievous smile, tufts of hair blowing in the wind.</p><p>Hyunsuk doesn’t know if it’s the hypnotic slander Yedam attempted to put in his head yesterday, but he can’t help but notice the uncomfortably short distance between them and Jihoon’s heavy palm on his shoulder that feels scalding through Hyunsuk’s clothes.</p><p>“You look nice.” Hyunsuk says, horribly attempting to control his wild heartbeat. And Jihoon really does, dressed in a simple white shirt and the silver chain he always wears, paired with a pale pink denim jacket Hyunsuk seriously plans to steal one of these days. Jihoon only winks as he walks around to the driver’s side of the car, Hyunsuk taking initiative to also get in the car, rather than just standing there, aimlessly frozen.</p><p>They’ve been driving for about thirty minutes before Hyunsuk’s curiosity (and growing fear for his life) becomes unbearable, and he starts trying to pinpoint exactly where their destination is located against Jihoon’s wishes, tired of the vague hints he keeps receiving and fully expecting a stubborn unmoving stone wall for an answer, but is pleasantly surprised with Jihoon’s uncharacteristic honesty.</p><p>“We’re running away.”</p><p>Hyunsuk blinks once, twice, tries to wrap his head around the nonsensical words that have just left his best friend’s mouth to no avail.</p><p>“Jihoon, what the fuck?”</p><p>His best friend laughs loudly, a warm sound that graces Hyunsuk’s ears, catching his breath and explaining himself after a few moments, “Only for a day, hyung! I made sure you had no classes.” Jihoon pouts, and Hyunsuk knows he has no defence against his best friend’s pleas, sighing deeply.</p><p>As soon as Jihoon sees his sigh, he grins in sly victory, clearly knowing he’s won for the day and the now reoccurring sight triggers Hyunsuk to wonder exactly when he became so weak for his best friend. </p><p> </p><p>It’s a wonder they’re not driving an almost lethal, barely legal speed that typically leaves Hyunsuk in momentary shock every time he steps into a car with Jihoon, but today the breeze that graces Hyunsuk is soft and cooling, rather than the breakneck winds that usually leave him not even wanting to know what his face was doing in response.</p><p>Looking over to his left leaves Hyunsuk with the spectacular view of Jihoon himself, who’s currently in the process of contradicting his admittedly immaculate appearance which could almost fool an unsuspecting victim into thinking there was actual charm and suave swimming around in his head instead of the foolishness he’s exhibiting right now.</p><p>He’s belting out all the lyrics to every song that comes on the radio at the top of his voice, almost forgetting to keep his eyes on the road as he continues trying to entice Hyunsuk into joining his spontaneous karaoke session with over exaggerated facial expressions and poorly timed winks that leave Hyunsuk hanging his head in embarrassment. Still, without even realising, Hyunsuk finds himself matching Jihoon’s key, and he subconsciously feels pity for every pedestrian that passes their vehicle.</p><p>So maybe Hyunsuk’s a fool as well.</p><p>-</p><p>By the time they near their destination, Jihoon has thankfully stopped desecrating Hyunsuk’s poor ears with out of tune melodies and is actually engaging in casual conversation, which becomes short lived as he focuses on manoeuvring them into the parking space of what looks to be a small cafe.</p><p>Hyunsuk barely has time to ask where they are before Jihoon is already slamming the car door shut and zipping around to the passenger’s side to wait expectantly for Hyunsuk to do the same. </p><p>Trepidatiously, Hyunsuk opens the door, waiting for Jihoon to tell him there’s some kind of intense skiing course behind the hole in the wall or something, but it seems like his right foot barely even touches the ground before he’s being dragged to the doors of the coffee shop. His sputters of useless complaints fall upon deaf ears as Jihoon greets the owner and orders for himself, promptly nudging Hyunsuk to stop sulking so he can place his own order, and it’s then when Hyunsuk really looks around.</p><p>The cafe is small and homely, beige themed and decorated with what looks like handmade pottery and little trinkets that line the walls all the way up to the set of stairs that lead up to the second floor, where what looks like an open balcony lays. </p><p>Now that they’re just waiting for their orders, he allows himself to fall into the indistinct background chatter and the smell of wafting coffee that surrounds them and he almost wonders how Jihoon just knew he’d like this so much if the small smile gracing his face is anything to go off of.</p><p>But then again, Jihoon knows him better than he knows himself.</p><p>Once they’re upstairs with their drinks in hand, every complaint that was on his tongue dies just before it escapes as soon as he sees the view they’ve been graced with. Hyunsuk guesses Jihoon’s driven them somewhere on the outskirts of central Seoul, from the way the skyscrapers glint in the far distance as they catch the sunlight and the lack of general noise that he’s all too familiar with. Hyunsuk likes this ambience, he likes being here with Jihoon, likes seeing the remaining drying droplets of water that glitter prettily against the railings from when it rained late last night.</p><p>Hyunsuk doesn’t even have to speak, turning to his best friend and seeing the expression on his face proves that his appreciation has communicated through clearly enough. Soon enough, they fall into a typical rhythm, telling each other things that don’t matter in the slightest, talking about everything and nothing at once. </p><p>Their drinks empty themselves it feels like, and soon they’re getting ready to leave when Hyunsuk suggests taking pictures to save the aesthetic in his memories. Almost immediately, he denies Jihoon’s suggestion to take selfies, “We aren’t taking selfies, Jihoon.”</p><p>Before his he starts to complain, Hyunsuk reasons “you do the same pose in every selfie, let’s do something different <em>please</em>.” He’s sulking and grumbling about how he only looks nice in selfies - Hyunsuk wholeheartedly disagrees - but he concedes to letting himself be photographed and taking timer pictures as Hyunsuk wishes.</p><p>If there’s one thing Hyunsuk seriously prides himself in, it’s his talent to make anybody look strikingly attractive in any picture he takes (not that he had to work very hard in Jihoon’s case), and even Jihoon’s eyebrows raise slightly and his cheeks colour as he sees the outcome of the photos. Jihoon looks <em>good</em>.</p><p>Hyunsuk only shrugs smugly, “what did I tell you?” He subtly gloats, “I know what I’m doing.”</p><p>(He makes the executive decision to completely ignore the way his own heartbeat increased looking at the pictures, because <em>wow</em>.)</p><p>They spend a couple minutes taking pictures of each other when the sun shines just right, eventually deciding to take timed pictures so they can both be in the frames (“selfies.” Jihoon argues, but Hyunsuk doesn’t budge.)</p><p>They take a few of all sorts, pulling incredibly stupid faces then bringing their best angles out as the wait for the camera to snap bursts of photos, and for the last few, Jihoon throws his arms around Hyunsuk tightly, smiling an infectious smile that he catches onto. The feeling of Jihoon’s arms wrapped around him is simultaneously comforting and heart racing for reasons still unknown, but he leans into him.</p><p>They’re finally collecting their things to leave, while Hyunsuk scrolls through the pictures they’ve taken, favouriting a few crazy ones and deleting others. As he comes across the last selection they’d snapped, he chooses one of the few where they look happiest, smiling stupidly and Jihoon’s embracing him tightly, posting it on his story on a whim to commemorate a good day.</p><p>It’s up for not even five minutes before his phone lights up with a notification from his younger brother, Junghwan, who’s already replied to his story. Curious, (Junghwan only ever texts him for food purposes) Hyunsuk swipes to unlock his phone and immediately wishes he hadn’t when Jihoon was <em>right there</em>.</p><p><strong>Junghwan</strong><br/>
<em>date?</em></p><p>Hyunsuk does not understand where the sudden influx of people in his life who’ve decided to assume that they’re dating has come from, not where they’re getting the ideas from in the first place, especially his brother, who’s in high school of all places. He and Jihoon are <em>best friends</em>. </p><p>He chances a glance towards Jihoon, but it seems he was occupied counting his notes to accumulate to the total fee and didn’t see the invasive message he’d been bombarded with.</p><p>
  <strong>Hyunsuk</strong><br/>
<em>mind your business damn<br/>
and wtf no</em>
</p><p>
  <strong>Junghwan</strong><br/>
<em>omg say swear<br/>
lmao y do u guys always act like ur literally dating</em>
</p><p>
  <strong>Hyunsuk</strong><br/>
<em>we’re not !!</em>
</p><p>
  <strong>Junghwan</strong><br/>
<em>you are :p</em>
</p><p>
  <strong>Hyunsuk</strong><br/>
<em>come here rn i’ll beat you up i promise</em>
</p><p>
  <strong>Junghwan</strong><br/>
<em>ok lol at your old age<br/>
anyways hyung my friends have arrived text me when jihoon’s your boyfriend yea </em>
</p><p>Hyunsuk closes his eyes in frustration.</p><p>-</p><p>To Hyunsuk’s surprise, they find themselves in Jihoon’s car once again, en route to yet another unknown, mystery destination. Honestly speaking, Hyunsuk shouldn’t have been surprised that they were moving once again in the slightest, Jihoon having the kind of stamina to last hours upon hours, even more energetic than his younger brother, Doyoung, of whom he had a good three years of maturity against. Jihoon could stand his own against a toddler in terms of energy levels, Hyunsuk thinks.</p><p>By this point, Hyunsuk has reluctantly given up on asking where they were headed to now, opting to man the aux cord entirely by himself in retaliation, not giving Jihoon the opportunity to even request a single song for them to listen to. He’s in the middle of playing one of Jihoon’s mortifyingly old covers to a dated song to his utter indignation, and for a moment Hyunsuk is afraid he’d rather crash the car than listen to his own voice for a second longer when they’re saved by the ring of Jihoon’s phone.</p><p>Jihoon gestures for Hyunsuk to check who it is and he grabs the phone to connect it to the car’s speakers, “it’s Doyoung.”</p><p>“Pick up.” Jihoon says, as Hyunsuk’s already moving to do so, disconnecting his own phone so that he can put Jihoon’s on loudspeaker.</p><p>He’ll never admit it, but it’s moments like these Hyunsuk loves. Just existing together in their own separate worlds, watching Jihoon do things as simple as converse with his younger brother fills Hyunsuk with satisfaction and fulfilment he can’t even explain. Jihoon, Hyunsuk has noticed, has adopted the life-threatening habit of running his hands through his hair every few minutes while he drives, seeing as it’s getting longer these days, and he’s sure he feels a small portion of his soul die every time.</p><p><em>Objectively</em>, (Hyunsuk isn’t <em>blind</em> he tells the Yedam in his head), Jihoon is much too attractive for his own good, as he’s exhibiting right this moment, smiling a lazy charming smile as he listens to whatever story Doyoung is telling them that distracts Hyunsuk from even trying to listen to his favourite of the siblings.</p><p>Minutes pass without Hyunsuk even realising and Jihoon is finally saying his goodbyes, prompting Hyunsuk to do the same and to remind Doyoung that he will always be the better sibling, to Jihoon’s whiny complaints. Once the call ends, the car is filled with a comfortable silence that eventually makes Hyunsuk extremely sleepy, though he tries to hide it by sitting up straighter and making small conversation.</p><p>Eventually, Jihoon places a warm hand atop Hyunsuk’s thigh that feels scalding to the touch, encouraging him to just sleep since they apparently have a long way to go. Hyunsuk certainly doesn’t need to be told twice, instantly closing his eyes and resting his head against the window, barely noticing the fact that Jihoon fails to move his hand from its position on top of his thigh.</p><p>-</p><p>Hyunsuk’s blinking himself awake almost an hour later to Jihoon gently nudging him, announcing “we’re here.” </p><p>‘Here’ reveals itself to be calm winds, fine sands and giant waves; the beach. Jihoon’s left the car to pay for parking, leaving Hyunsuk staring out of the windows like a small child, hands pressed against the glass and mouth wide open. He hasn’t been to the beach in <em>years</em>, not since Junghwan was still small and he used to go with his family. He remembers an ever brave toddler Junghwan always attempting to climb into the waves, while Hyunsuk was constantly sent to collect his little brother from his impending doom against the giant waves. He smiles slightly at the warm memories.</p><p>He’s still gazing out the window like he’s never even seen the ocean before when Jihoon finally returns to the car, grabbing a small bag from the back and slotting a small sheet of paper behind the windshield, winking at Hyunsuk through the glass after they accidentally make eye contact. Hyunsuk does not flush in the slightest, instead, making the decision to get out of the car to join his best friend in walking towards the beach. </p><p>It takes exactly four minutes after they’ve changed into the cheap swimming shorts Hyunsuk had bought for them in a nearby store, for Jihoon to launch him into the water without any warning at all. Not that Hyunsuk wasn’t expecting any foolishness to occur, however since then, Hyunsuk has managed to get back at Jihoon exactly zero times.</p><p>You see, Hyunsuk thinks this is a very unfair battle for a multitude of reasons. First, he is shorter than Jihoon, sure, he’s not exactly sure how that disadvantages him so strongly but he’s definitely sure it plays a part in his repeated loses, (he avidly ignores Jihoon shaking his head in mockery). Second, Jihoon is faster than him, which is certainly an advantage, seeing as Hyunsuk can barely grab onto him for more than a second before he’s breaking away and running off into the distance.</p><p>Defeated, Hyunsuk eventually crumples to the floor, sand clinging to his wet legs, and Jihoon’s running back over in an instant, draping his arms around Hyunsuk’s shoulders.</p><p>“Hyunsukie, don’t be mad that I’m better than you.” He says, a falsely empathetic expression lacing his features while he’s clearly seconds from bursting out in laughter. Hyunsuk fixes him with a seething glare and moves to punch his best friend’s shoulder who reflexively grabs his hands before they make contact, leading them into a short tussle in which Hyunsuk finally overcomes Jihoon, reinstates his pride and pins him to the ground. At least Hyunsuk was a better play-fighter, he tells himself.</p><p>“I win.” Hyunsuk declares, and Jihoon sticks his tongue out at him before wrapping his arms around his shoulders to pull him downwards. A terrible mistake, because for a horrifying split second their faces ended up only mere millilitres from each other, due to Hyunsuk’s late reaction time in turning his head to the side and though it was barely a second, the tension was heavily palpable in that moment. </p><p>Hyunsuk rolls over beside Jihoon, and they lay there in a slightly awkward silence, whereas any other day they would have laughed that weird moment off in utter hysterics. </p><p><em>What is going on</em>, Hyunsuk silently thinks.</p><p>-</p><p>After that strange moment, they end up leisurely spending another three hours by the sea, bathing in the warm sand until evening settles over them and sun begins to glow a pretty orange, twinkling upon the water’s surface. By this time, Hyunsuk is positively starving and has made the effort to make this very known to Jihoon, who wastes no time at all in tugging their forgotten shirts over both of their heads and ushering them to a small diner across the street that looks over the waves.</p><p>They end up eating their food outside, surrounded by glowing fairy lights and the encompassing strum of guitar strings and live vocals, the sun setting a golden hue behind them as they bask in the comforting atmosphere. As adults do, as Jihoon states over and over now that they’re actually legally recognised as such (to prove a point to <em>who</em>, Hyunsuk often questions), Hyunsuk orders them both two glasses of sparkling wine, leaving a substantial dent in his wallet that pays the price for a giggly flushed Jihoon.</p><p>A tipsy Jihoon, as Hyunsuk has found, is an honest Jihoon, who often finds himself in less than pleasant situations at the fault of his own mouth. Right now, Jihoon seems to be entertaining himself by laughing to himself softly every time he stares at Hyunsuk for too long, for reasons entirely unknown.</p><p>Flustered, Hyunsuk mumbles an embarrassed, “what’s wrong with you?”, covering his face with his hands in indignation.</p><p>Jihoon, however, just sends Hyunsuk an endearing smile, officially declaring, “you’re so cute, hyung.”</p><p><em>that’s my line</em>, Hyunsuk finds himself thinking, before he even registers what the fuck he has just heard and what it means. You see, as a drunk individual, he fails to realise that this behaviour technically isn’t out of the ordinary, nor drastically out of bounds for typically Jihoon compliments, however paired with a few earlier earlier events, comments from outsiders and whatever charged moment had transpired between them at the beach, Hyunsuk is reeling.</p><p>Not for long, fortunately, seeing as Jihoon is currently pestering Hyunsuk to seize the moment and for them to take more pictures in the warm, golden lighting that the sun has gifted them. Honestly, Hyunsuk doesn’t blame Jihoon for being so eager to capture the essence of the atmosphere they’re in, especially when he looks so beautiful; his skin glowing golden as the rays of fading sunlight shine across his cheekbones, his smile sparking fires in the pits of Hyunsuk’s stomach.</p><p>Mutely, he allows Jihoon to snap multiple photos on his phone, allows him to direct them into stupid poses and affectionate frames, ignoring the way his heart feels like it’s moments from bursting out of his chest. <em>what is going on?</em>, Hyunsuk keeps finding himself wondering. They’ve probably taken hundreds of photos by the time Jihoon is satisfied, and barely even glances at them before he has to look away as his best friend begins choosing a select few to post.</p><p>They look too close, too intimate, they look like they’re <em>dating</em>, and Hyunsuk doesn’t know how to feel about it. His expressions, the setting, the lighting, the time of day, it all paints a date-like scenario, one of dreams and affection.</p><p>Jihoon and Hyunsuk are best friends.</p><p>(His emotions are sent through another whirlwind of confusion when his phone lights up with another notification as they’re driving once again after spending another three hours walking by the beach, Junkyu this time.<em>Are you guys sure you aren’t dating?</em>, it reads, underneath one of the pictures Jihoon must have posted, and Hyunsuk hopes his best friend can’t sense his oncoming heart attack even if the manner in which he slammed his phone against the dashboard <em>was</em> slightly strange.)</p><p>-</p><p> </p><p>Hyunsuk doesn’t want the day to end, but it’s growing inevitable as Jihoon announces that they’ve officially reached their final destination. </p><p>It’s so beautiful, so <em>Jihoon</em> that it almost brings Hyunsuk to tears. They’ve driven to the summit of a forest-like greenland, where almost the entirety of Seoul is at their viewing disposal, of which Jihoon says he’s revealed to nobody but his younger brother who he discovered this place with when they were small. He can vividly imagine young Jihoon and an even younger Doyoung delving into future possibilities and curiosities about the ever growing world sitting in the grass as Seoul bustles beneath them, he can imagine them trekking through ankle high snow in the bitter winters as their fickle arguments end in snow fights. </p><p>He doesn’t know why he’s so emotional.</p><p>From here, it’s overwhelmingly tangible how beautiful the city becomes at night, when bustling crowds give way to glinting horizons and sparkling skylines, and he’s so entranced that he barely hears Jihoon calling him to help him set out the picnic blanket he’s brought with them.</p><p>They lie on the cotton square once they’ve laid it out against the crinkling grass, and it’s as if the pull of magnets were drawing them together instead of seeking warmth against the cool breeze that raises goosebumps on their skin, Jihoon’s head resting against his shoulder, hair falling into his eyes as strong arms wrap around his waist. All of this means far too much than they’re both letting on, evident in the small hitches in breath, the racing heartbeats, the affection in their actions. </p><p>Feeling the weight of Jihoon’s head leaning on his shoulder and his arms wrapped around his waist shouldn’t really be a particular issue when they cuddle all the time as relationship deprived and touch starved university students, but somehow, the air has changed. </p><p>It’s charged now, with what, Hyunsuk <em>doesn’t know</em>, but it’s different when they’re lying in each other’s arms and staring at the twinkling stars, when he barely notices that their fingers are interlaced together, when Jihoon’s whispering a careful <em>I hope you feel better</em> in his ear, so as to not disturb the peace. When Hyunsuk slowly realises that Jihoon did this all for <em>him</em>, because he was stressed, because he cared and how he doesn’t know what this means for them.</p><p>He’s in a dreamlike daze as they eventually get in the car to head home, mind hazy as he feels Jihoon’s flickering glances as he drives them in silence, stars fading out into pitch darkness as the distance from the city grows closer. He’s still in a tranced state as they finally reach the dorms, when they’re standing aimlessly in front of Hyunsuk’s door, unsure where to go from here. </p><p>He was barely even tipsy and it wore off hours ago, way before they left for the viewing spot, but Hyunsuk feels drunk as he stares at Jihoon, who’s sporting a terribly perplexed expression, appearing as if he’s stuck between leaving without another word and kissing Hyunsuk senseless. After a moment, he seems to settle for pulling Hyunsuk into a tight, wordless embrace, before turning to walk towards his own building.</p><p>Hyunsuk stands there, motionless but mind a chaotic collection of scattered thoughts, until Jihoon finally enters the lift on the opposite end of the hallway, and the doors shut slowly behind his figure.</p><p>-</p><p>Checking his phone for the first time in almost four hours tends to be an overwhelming experience on a usual occasion, but today in particular leaves him positively flooded with tons of notifications he’d barely bothered to open throughout the day, for the fear of all of them reading along the same lines though from different people.</p><p>Needless to say, he’s painfully correct. They’re all suggestive emojis and irksome comments from his assholes for friends that leave Hyunsuk even more emotionally wrecked, but seeing that Yedam had also participated sends his streak of defiance and denial running through his veins once again.</p><p>He takes one glance at Yedam’s smug message accompanied with the eyes emoji that feel as if are staring directly into his soul, and is overcome with the sudden urge to prove his point once and for all. He and Jihoon are <em>best friends</em> no matter how strangely today ended up transpiring, not whatever message his heart was trying to convey to him.</p><p>
  <strong>Hyunsuk</strong><br/>
<em>everyone keeps saying we’re dating lmaoooo</em>
</p><p>Jihoon’s read his message in less than a second, but takes almost ten agonising painstaking minutes to respond, leaving Hyunsuk to the embarrassing ritual of checking his phone every five seconds with a foreboding sense of regret hanging over his head, because he’s never shocked Jihoon into <em>silence</em> before, meaning he’s probably royally fucked up. He hopes he hasn’t royally fucked up.</p><p>
  <strong>Jihoon</strong><br/>
<em>maybe we are</em></p><p>So it looks like he hasn’t royally fucked up.</p><p>(Jumping around his room like he’s been casted in some cheap teen flick to his roommate banging against the wall is certainly <em>not</em> his first reaction to the text)</p><p>-<br/>
-<br/>
-</p><p>(<strong>Jihoon</strong><br/>
<em>or we can be???</em><br/>
<em>that was a lot smoother in my head fuck</em><br/>
<em>was that smooth??</em><br/>
<em>or did i sound like a dickhead????</em><br/>
<em>i’m sorry hyunsukie i didn’t mean it like that OTL</em></p><p>
  <strong>Hyunsuk</strong><br/>
<em>no that was very smooth Jihoon</em>
</p><p><strong>Hyunsuk</strong><br/>
<em>&lt;3</em>)</p><p>-</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>i have decided to start characterising junghwan as a respectful roadman from this point onwards and you can’t stop me</p><p>also should i do preschool sukhoon to continue the sukhoon at different stages in life thing i’ve got going on</p><p>and finally comment dohoon are the only siblings ever bc it’s true !!</p><p>-</p><p>twt: tendecibvls<br/>cc: https://curiouscat.qa/tendecibvls</p></blockquote></div></div>
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